Constructionism in Practice

Zusammenfassungen

Describes a set of educational research projects at the MIT Media Laboratory, illustrating how new computational technologies can transform our conceptions of learning, education and knowledge. The book draws on real-world education experiments conducted in formal and informal contexts.

This collection includes 14 papers, divided into four sections: Perspectives in Constructionism; Learning through
Design; Learning in Communities; Learning about Systems. These sections are somewhat arbitrary and possibly
misleading, since many of the papers cut across the boundaries. But the section themes provide a general framework
for understanding some of the core issues in constructionist research today.

The digital revolution necessitates, but also makes possible, radical changes in how and what we learn. Constructionism in Practice describes a set of innovative educational research projects at the MIT Media Laboratory, illustrating how new computational technologies can transform our conceptions of learning, education, and knowledge.
Constructionism in Practice grows out of 30 years of research on technologies for learning and thinking at MIT, and provides a rich and comprehensive description of constructionist educational theories. The book draws on real-world educational experiments conducted in formal and informal contexts: from inner-city schools and university labs to neighborhoods and after-school clubhouses. These experiments demonstrate how technology-based design activities can empower children from a wide range of backgrounds to become more confident and competent learners, and help them make deep connections with important mathematical and scientific ideas.
The book integrates ideas from the fields of learning, design, computer science, education, psychology, and epistemology, and presents a comprehensive theoretical framework for technologies in education. The book is divided into four interrelated sections: Perspectives in Constructionism, Learning through Design, Learning in Communities, and Learning about Systems.